Take It All Away

Chapter 20: Revelations

Disclaimer: If I owned Fullmetal Alchemist, do you really think I would be writing this?

Warnings:

The most obvious is Shonen-ai content, if you don't like that then I fail to understand why you've stuck around for Chapter 20... This story also contains a fair bit of swearing, as well as the occasional scene that is meant for more 'mature' audiences. Also, facts in this story may not coincide with that found in the manga or anime.

So far in the story:

Roy fell into a coma after a battle with Scar and upon his awakening was diagnosed with amnesia. Driven by guilt, Ed stayed by the (newly promoted) General's side as Roy slowly began to regain his memories. Eventually a relationship began to develop between the two and disturbing occurrences in the country of Drachma bring Roy back into the line of duty.

Author's Note: Well, we've reached Chapter 20! I can't believe this story has gone by so fast (maybe not for my readers), but this is the longest I've kept with a story, and by far the fastest I've put out updates. The constant reviews I receive from my readers has driven me to finish this story. We still have many chapters to go, and I hope you guys will continue to stick with me! And now, without further ado, Take It All Away, Chapter 20.

R-2-F

A woman with long, black hair stood just inside the entrance of Creta's smallest bar, her eyes scanning the customers as they came in. Beside her stood a man who was as wide as he was tall. Despite their efforts to blend in with the others, the beautiful woman and her beastly companion were hard to miss, especially in a deserted bar such as this.

"Looking for anyone I know?"

The woman spun around, glaring at the unfortunate soul that dared to sneak up behind her. "You're late." She hissed, her eyes betraying every bit of loathing she felt for the newcomer.

The man smirked but offered no excuse for his late appearance.

The shorter man chose that moment to pipe up. "How rude of him to make us wait." He leered, licking his lips. "Let me eat him, Lust."

The woman called Lust rolled her eyes, having grown immune to her companion's pleas long ago. "Not this time, Gluttony." She sighed, crossing her arms. "I'm afraid we need him...for now."

The man chuckled and sat on the bar stool nearest him, beckoning the bar mistress over with a flick of his hand. The woman behind the counter eyed him warily before coming to take his order. The way the man was dressed, it was hard not to accuse him of looking suspicious. He was dressed in all-dark colors, from his black boots down to his dark brown hat. His clothes were tattered and torn, with dirt caking the hem of the faded brown cloak he wore. It was unusual to see such poorly dressed people on this side of town. Though the bar was small and was frequented only by it's most faithful customers, it was located on the nicer side of Creta. It was no wonder why the stranger had drawn the attention of most of the bar's occupants.

"Give me a bottle of your strongest stuff." He commanded gruffly.

The waitress continued to regard him warily. "You sure you can afford that, mister?" She stipulated, choosing her words carefully so not to offend a potential customer.

The man smirked again. "You're right, I probably couldn't." He paused thoughtfully, scratching his chin. "I know!" He declared suddenly, spinning on the bar stool and grinning at the pair that had chosen to stand behind him instead of taking a seat themselves. "These two here will treat me."

Lust's eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?"

The man's grin widened and he appeared unaffected by the look of impending death he was receiving from the other two. "Buy me a drink, then we can go somewhere more private to talk business."

Lust sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose as she felt an impending headache coming on. "Fine." Gluttony muttered something under his breath , but she didn't care to know what.

The man's smirk returned as he turned back around to give the bar maid his order. The woman seemed satisfied with the arrangement and went to fill the order.

Gluttony tugged on Lust's cloak, looking up at her skeptically. When he was certain he held the woman's attention, he leaned closer in order to be heard over one of the customers that was raving in a drunken stupor. "I don't like this, Lust." He whined, his words slightly slurred because of the finger he refused to take out of his mouth.

Lust sighed again. "I know Gluttony...but we have to trust Pride.

Gluttony scowled at the mention of the other homunculi's name. "Why? He's never cared about us."

Lust couldn't argue with him there. "Let's just hear what this nitwit has to say." When this appeared to appease her companion, Lust turned her attention back to the other man. "Are you about finished?" She asked mockingly, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

"Sure am. Let's get." He hopped off the bar stool and grabbed his bottle of whatever it was he ordered, not even waiting for the raven haired woman to pay for his liquor before taking a large swig from the bottle. Lust tossed a handful of coins on the counter with a scowl before she and Gluttony followed him out the of the door and into the streets of Creta.

R-2-F

It was nearing eight by the time Ed swallowed his pride and returned to the office to search for the General. After their argument earlier that day, Ed had returned to the mansion and locked himself in Roy's library for hours. He had become so absorbed in the materials that he'd found in the General's massive collection that he failed to notice Roy's absence until it was pointed out by his younger brother. Ed had felt a jolt of alarm upon this realization, but his pride refused to allow him to hunt down the General after their fight. Another hour had come and gone before Ed's anxiety got the best of him and he went in search of Roy.

By the time Ed reached the office, most of the lights in the building had already been turned off. Luckily the hall lights remained on day or night, so the blonde was able to make his way to Roy's office with minimal trouble. While on his way, Ed had begun to dream up the worst possible scenarios that had kept the General from returning home.

What if something happened? Ed thought darkly, his brow furrowing into a frown. What if he was hurt? Or maybe he had another attack? At this thought, Ed's pace quickened. He'd witnessed Roy's attacks more than once and he was unsure of how the raven would handle them on his own. When Ed spun around the corner and threw open Roy's office door, what he found was the last thing that he'd expected.

Roy sat in his chair, his body slumped over the papers in front of him. His head rested on the desk at an awkward angle, and one hand hung limply by his side, papers that had slipped from his fingers littering the ground below. Despite the awkwardness of his position, the General appeared to be fast asleep.

Ed's shoulders slumped in relief and he took a moment to allow his heart beat to return to a normal pace. When he was sure that he wouldn't pass out if he took a step forward, Ed crossed the room silently and knelt beside his desk. "Hey." He beckoned gently, reaching up and running a hand through tousled raven locks. "Wake up."

Roy groaned in reply, his head turning away from the blonde in an unconscious attempt to ward off whatever was disturbing him. His neck made a popping sound as he resettled his head on the desk, and even in his sleep Roy grimaced.

Ed decided to try another tactic and rose from his knees and put a hand on either of Roy's shoulders, gently working the muscles that were impossibly tense due to the awkward position the man was sleeping in.

This time Roy moaned and leaned into the blonde's touch, his head lolling back as sleepy eyes met Ed's. "Edward?" He frowned, blinking away the last traces of sleep. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Ed rebuked softly, his hands continuing to work out the knots in Roy's neck and shoulders. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

Roy shook his head, either too tired to think or too enwrapped in the feel of Ed's hands kneading his shoulders to care.

Since the General's eyes had slid shut, Ed allowed himself to smile at Roy's sleepy state. He really could be cute sometimes. "It's past nine." He supplied when the older man showed no sign of answering his question. "What the hell are you doing here this late?"

Roy's eyes reluctantly opened, meeting melted gold, who's worry was poorly hidden. "I had some stuff to look into.." He yawned, rolling his neck and stretching his arms. "I guess I fell asleep."

"Yeah I can see that." Ed snapped, his temper returning. Here he'd been, worrying for nothing!

Roy caught Ed's waist in one of his arms and hauled the blonde into his lap. Ed fell with an undignified squeak against the older man, but managed to brace his hands on Roy's chest. His eyes narrowed at the playful look he was receiving from the General.

"I'm sorry, Edward. I didn't mean to worry you."

Ed bristled, though he made no move to escape the arms that had wound around his waist. "You bastard, who said I was worried about you?"

Roy smirked and began to trail kisses along Ed's jaw line, deeming the conversation over, though it had barely begun. Ed opened his mouth to rebuke the General's actions, but his protests dissolved into a breathy moan as Roy ran his tongue along the shell of Ed's ear, causing the blonde to shiver in his arms.

Roy chuckled lightly and began to nibble on Ed's ear, loving the sounds he was elicting from the blonde. He felt Ed's hands fist in his shirt and smirked, releasing the blonde's earlobe in exchange for sealing Ed's lips with his own.

Ed's hold on Roy's uniform coat tightened, a whimper escaping his parted lips as Roy's lips left his. After another chuckle from the raven, Roy's lips were back on Ed's, gently coaxing the blonde's mouth open. As soon as Ed complied, Roy began caressing the blonde's tongue with his own.

Ed squirmed in Roy's lap, his hands deftly unbuttoning Roy's uniform jacket as he struggled to erase any distance between them, clothing be damned. His hands were shaking in his haste and he began to fumble with the buttons, but a larger hand covered his own and finished unbuttoning the jacket, allowing the blonde to push it off of the General's shoulders. The kiss was never broken.

Roy moaned softly as Ed's hands began to explore the contours of his chest, and his own hands were far from idle. One hand had already made short work of Ed's braid and was now buried in loose blonde locks, while his other hand was tucked in Ed's back pocket, pulling the blonde's hips closer to his own.

"Roy.." Ed whimpered, winding one arm around the General's neck as Roy's lips strayed from his own. His breathing became labored as Roy moved his hair to one side, his lips attacking Ed's exposed neck, licking and nibbling playfully at the skin he found there.

They didn't make it back to the house until early morning. Upon their return, they snuck past Al's room like teenagers out past curfew, careful not to wake the sleeping boy. When they reached Roy's room- no, their room, they both simply fell into bed, not bothering to pull the covers from beneath them or change into night clothes. Roy pulled the blonde teen close, smiling unabashedly when the blonde gave a sleepy sigh and fitted himself against Roy's side, tucking his head beneath Roy's chin.

"G'night, bastard." Ed murmured sleepily.

Roy yawned, his eyes sliding shut but his smile refusing to fade. "Yeah...it was."

R-2-F

"Are you through dragging us around town now?" Lust hissed, glaring at the blonde in front of her.

The man turned and smirked. "Yeah, we're here." He answered, turning his key in the lock and pushing the door open. "C'mon in."

"How kind of you." Lust replied icily, pushing her way past him. Her shadow, as the visitor had taken to calling him, followed behind her, shooting his own glare at the man who dared to annoy Lust. The man seemed unaffected by the other two's cold attitudes and merely continued grinning, nursing the bottle of booze he had bought earlier. He glanced at the surrounding alleys, shutting the door once he was certain the coast was clear. He turned to find the woman sitting on the edge of the bed gingerly, looking around as if something was going to jump out and grab her.

"There's no traps here," He assured, moving and sitting in the empty chair that was situated at the desk. The only other chair in the room was already occupied by the woman's stout companion.

"Hn."

"Not very friendly, are you?" He inquired, his voice amused although his eyes were equally guarded. When he received no reply from either party, he decided it was time to begin talking business. "Before I tell you your orders, where is he?"

Lust needn't ask to whom the man was referring, she knew all too well. "On a train to Drachma. The switch went smoothly."

"Ah." The man nodded, seemingly satisfied with this answer. "Very well." He paused to take a swig from his bottle. "I've received your latest orders from Pride. A band of militiamen are on their way to Drachma to investigate the strange occurrences there." He locked eyes with the woman. "He would like you to dispose of them."

For the first time since the visitor had arrived, Gluttony's eyes lit up. "I can eat them?" He asked, his voice hinting at his excitement.

The man repressed a shudder and forced himself to nod. "Fight them, kill them...eat them, he doesn't give a damn what you do, just make sure they never reach Drachma."

Lust eyed him warily. "How are we to know this isn't a trap?"

"You don't." He replied simply, shrugging his shoulders. "You either do it or not, it's not my problem." He paused, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "Have you heard word from the others?"

Gluttony grunted and Lust's eyebrow twitched ever so slightly.

"I'm taking that as a yes."

Gluttony sniffed indignantly. "They wants nothing to do with us." He growled, his words once again slurring because of the finger he refused to take out of his mouth.

The man arched an eyebrow and looked to Lust.

"Sloth and Wrath...are quite happy living as the loving mother and son right now." She answered stiffly, her distaste clear. The aforementioned homunculi had disappeared a while ago in order to lead a 'normal' life together as mother and child, and had no interest in becoming human anymore, unlike Lust, Gluttony, and Envy. "They won't be joining us."

"Ah...a shame." The man sighed. "Well, now that that's settled, I'm tired from that train ride, so if you don't mind my rudeness...bug off so I can sleep in peace."

Lust rolled her eyes and stood. She didn't need to be told twice to leave this rundown hotel. "Come on, Gluttony. We're going."

"Awe, but Lust...I'm hungry!"

Their bickering could be heard until they turned the corner, turning onto one of the main roads and becoming lost in the throng of people.

With a sigh, Havoc crossed the room and flopped back into the desk chair, staring at the phone before him. It was time to make a call...

R-2-F

Roy was startled awake by the ringing of the phone. With a groan he sat up, attempting to disentangle himself from the blonde that was using him as a pillow and grab the phone at the same time. "This had better be good." He growled, his voice hoarse from sleep.

"I...er...I'm sorry about calling at such an inconvenient hour, General-"

Roy sighed, immediately recognizing the stammering man on the other end of the phone. "What is it, Fuery?"

There was a long pause, and Roy had to check and make sure that he hadn't accidentally hung up on the Sergeant. "We've had a break in the case." Fuery suddenly declared, his voice still far too hesitant for Roy's liking.

"And..?" Roy prompted, glancing down when he felt the blonde next to him shift, but the teen remained asleep.

"I...We've received an anonymous call claiming that...and we have reason to believe that..."

"That what?" Roy snapped, his patience wearing thin. It was a miracle he hadn't woken his companion yet.

The Sergeant gulped heavily. "General, we have reason to believe that a philosopher's stone is being held in Drachma."

R-2-F

Author's Note: Oh my God! It's finally over! (Gasps for air) I never thought I would manage to finish this. I was half dead by the time I finished this chapter, but I was determined I would have it written by the end of the night (I wrote this on Saturday, but the servers are down so I won't be able to publish it for a while..). I hope this chapter turned out alright. That was my first lime too... ;) I didn't lose too much blood writing it, but I'd planned on including something along those lines as the '20th Chapter' celebration.

Until next time!

R2F